Monday, July 17, 2006

My Notions Bag

Ages ago, Jennasked us what was in our notions bag. I saved her post on my bloglines but never got around to posting my answer. Recently, Theresareminded me. So here goes.

My notions bag is a little zippered velvet pouch from the Tibet Collection, a store that sells fair trade items handmade in Tibet. Although the store is a predominantly online venture, the warehouse is located near where I live and has periodic sales of the sample items they use in photography for their catalog.

Inside there are two compartments separatated by a patterned woven insert.

On one side I keep a needle sizer that belonged to my grandmother, a small pair of sewing scissors, a stitch holder or two (one is currently in use), and a couple of crochet hooks for mismade stitches and the like. Usually there is a tape measure. Often I have a pen in here as well.

On the other, I keep wooden (and sometimes plastic hook-shaped) cable needles, two little handpainted needle cases (one large enough for tapestry and seaming-up needles and the other small for little sharp needles), and a tiny zippered plastic bag with stitch and row markers. I often have a travel-sized spool of some neutral-colored thread, or a hotel fix-it-up sewing kit, or a bit of yarn from a previous project. This is also the side that hold copies of the pattern I am working on, folded in quarters. Often there is a spare bamboo circular needle of some random size as well.

Although I usually do not carry this little box with me, at home and on long trips I keep a few additional supplies (more markers, a thimble, spare row counters, etc.) in a small round tin that used to be filled with delectable dark chocolate wedges.